Monday January 9, 2017 | BUSINESS DAILY MA N A G EME N T TALENTNew hires ought to learn the ropes while the rest are only useful having sharp skills BY DOUG AND POLLY WHITE T here are thousands of reasons to train and develop employees. New employees need to understand how to perform the required work. Current employees need to keep their skills sharp. Changes in technology, new product introductions or modifications to policies and procedures are all reasons for training. A major portion of our careers has fo- cused on creating effective workforces. As you might guess, we are huge proponents of training and developing workers. Well-trained staffers produce higher quality work, less scrap and less wasted time. They’re better prepared for future challenges and additional roles. However, all reasons for focusing on workforce development boil down to performance. Here’ll, we ‘ll address training. First, though, a word of warning: Training and development is not always the answer. Don’t get pulled into the trap that says, “If my employees are underperforming, I should provide more training.” Instead, first ask the following questions to determine why employees underperform. -What are my employees doing or not doing that is causing the issue in my organisation? -Do the employees know how to perform that specific action/process/procedure? -Have the employees been given enough time to become proficient? LI E Once you have analysed the need, de- termine the “make or buy decision.” Do you have the skills and resources to provide the training internally, or would it make more sense to engage resources outside of your organisation to develop and/or deliver the training? Many organisations provide new em- ployee orientation and on-the-job (OTJ) training. Since smaller organisa- Internal training If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then training is not the solution. Look to other possibilities. But if the answer to your questions Well-t≥ained staffe≥s p≥oduce highe≥ quality wo≥k, less sc≥ap and less wasted time tions often don’t have welldocumented processes, the success of such programmes may vary. Training depends on the skills of the experienced employee to deliver correct and consistent information. Even when a process is in place, most internal OTJ and orientation we’ve seen have no clear objectives and do not measure outcomes. If a new employee fails to “catch on,” the is no, then ask this question: “Exactly what do I want my employees to be able to do differently as a result of the training? Do they need to recognise quality problems, answer customer questions more completely and accurately, garner more sales? student is often blamed, not the teacher or the training itself. An example: We worked with a broker- dealer in Philadelphia. The investment advisers complained about the inconsistencies in the company’s employees’ performance. Sometimes those employees New technology, product introductions or rework and policies are some of the reasons for training. 27 ENTREPRENEURSHIP Don’t let age kill you≥ ent≥ep≥eneu≥ial spi≥it Page 29 BUSINESS LAW Some of the laws that make 2016 stand out Page 30 Questions to ask befo≥e taking the t≥aining ≥oute executed their trades in two days, and sometimes it took them five or more days to execute. Mistakes were the norm. Through our analysis, we found that what employees believed to be “the process” depended completely on who had initially trained them. Such internal training can be highly effective, but requires that organisation leadership determine training objectives, develop processes/curriculum and deliver the information in a way that maximises the probability that employee will perform in the desired way. Internal training also requires that outcomes be evaluated. Determining whether or not the organisation has the time and the expertise to develop and deliver these programmes is critical to the overall success. External people Sometimes it makes sense to bring in outside resources. Organizations can use human resource development (HRD) profession- als in a variety of ways: Determine training needs: Ex- perienced HRD professionals can conduct surveys, focus groups, interviews and other techniques to help an organisation determine the skill and knowledge gaps in its workforce. Gap analysis can ascertain ex- act needs, allowing the organisation to target training and development to specific individuals or organisational requirements, ultimately saving both time and money. Develop curriculum Develop curriculum: Sometimes the organisation knows what it needs but lacks the time or expertise to create the programmes and materials. In this case, the company should hire an outside expert to work with one or more subject matter experts (SME) internal to the organisation to develop the curriculum. Delivering information: If you want a message given special attention, having an outside “ex- pert” deliver it may do the trick. Internal experts can suffer from “prophet in their own land” syndrome. We worked with an HR manager who had been trying for several months to get the managers to hire employees with a particular system without success. As external experts, we ex- plained the hiring system to the managers in a training session — and they accepted the system immediately. Determining delivery: An out- side expert may be able to help you determine the best method/s for delivering the information. Evaluating training: Finally, an HRD professional can help you to determine the effectiveness of your training. How much and what did the participants learn? What knowledge, skills and behaviours have they used in their job and did the changes have the desired effect? The writers own Whitestone Partners Inc. a firm that specialises in helping small businesses grow profitably.